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LESSON SIX
EYES
Back with the second lesson, we began an exercise called Controlled Walking which provided the first step in teaching the dog to pay attention to where you are. You can always go back and repeat that exercise if your dog is not properly paying attention. There are other things you can do too, to enhance that wonderful eye contact.
When you are heeling your dog and he looks away from you, make a sharp right turn and give him the correction. Praise him when he returns to heel position. Do not give him any warning because if he had been watching, he would have stayed in the heel position. Repeat this often while working your dog, this will teach your dog to watch you and make eye contact.
You can also work on this exercise in the sit position. Place the dog in the sit/stay and talk to him to get him to look at you. Command, EYES, as he is giving you eye contact. Then gradually demand longer periods of eye contact, do only seconds at first. If your dog is not interested in looking at you, you may use treats or a toy to spark his interest in paying attention to your face and eyes. When the dog looks away and has not been released, give a jerk straight up with a repeat of the command.
COME-FORE
YOU WANT YOUR DOG TO COME WHEN CALLED. Well, you started teaching this exercise in the previous lesson with the “come game.” Coming to you should be a happy, exciting and desirable thing for your dog to do. He will be taught that he must respond to your command to come without any question, but the action of coming must be pleasant for him and greeted with so much affection and praise, that there will never be any doubt in his mind about wanting to get to you fast. Let me interject a warning about something that too many people do without realizing what they are doing as well as the affect it will ultimately have on your dog. It is called incidental learning and occurs in other situations, too. If your dog does something wrong, no matter what, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER call your dog to you and correct him. He will not associate the correction with the sin, but with the thing he just did, namely coming to you. If he must be reprimanded, for something, you go to him at the scene of the crime, and then reprimand him. If you have a dog that knows the word NO, he will know he has done wrong and he may not need any correction. But, NEVER correct your dog when he’s coming to you. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! ! ! ! ! ! !
The come-fore exercise is just one more step in reinforcing the command to come. Start heeling with your dog. Get him moving along briskly. Give the command “Fido, COME!” and back up. Do not turn around. Just put your gear into reverse. Make it a happy event.
THE SIT AS PART OF HEELING
The sit has many uses – sit while being brushed, sit while being given medication, sit while having paws wiped off or sit to end an exuberant play period. He must learn to sit quickly and immediately when told to do so.
As in all exercises, you must teach prompt obedience to your command and performed as perfectly as possible. Careful attention to this procedure will pay dividends later on. It’s very likely that your Anatolian will be a bit slower, that’s because of his free-thinking, independent nature. As long as he is paying attention to you and obeying the commands, don’t worry.
With your dog at your left side in the heel position:
A. Give the command, “Fido, heel.” Move forward on your left foot and walk just a few steps.
B. As you are moving, do the following:
1. Grasp the lead directly above the snap with your right hand.
2. Take your left hand off the lead so it is free.
C. As you are taking a step with your RIGHT foot, just before stopping:
3. Give the command, “SIT” (no use of the dog’s name)
4. Jerk straight up on the lead and push down on the dog’s rump with your left hand.
The dog should be in motion when you jerk up. Don’t allow him to come to a halt before you place him in the sit position. If he is in motion when you jerk up, you will stop his front end and with just a little pressure on his rump, he will quickly tuck into a sit. Don’t turn your body toward the dog, bend at your knees to keep your body facing straight ahead in the direction I which you were traveling. Be certain your dog is sitting straight-squarely on his haunches and going the same way you are. Do this ten times in succession daily.
SIT/STAY AND DOWN/STAY
If your dog is steady, you may now go to the end of your lead before turning to face him. Be careful to observe so you may make corrections before the mistake is completed. Practice putting the dog in both the sit and down position with the “STAY” command and walking away (always lead with your right foot). When you turn and face your dog, if he has remained in the stay. Wait a second and call him to you, “Fido, COME!” Be sure to praise him lavishly.
EVERYDAY USE OF COMMANDS
Put the sit/stay to use when you and your dog are getting in and out of the car. Make your dog sit/stay while you can open the car door. Do not let him jump in the minute the door is open. Keep him in the sit/stay for a minute, then give a command for him to get in. The command you use is not important as long as you use the same one all the time. I use the command “UP” because I originally had a SUV and they had to go up to get in. In time, the term you use will be for getting in anything - car, house, boat, wagon, scale, etc. When you stop the car and open the door, do not let your dog bolt out the door ahead of you, or even after you. Have him on a lead and collar so he is under control. Make him sit and stay while you get out of the car/truck/SUV/van - and make him wait until YOU are ready for him to get out. Then give the command to get out. I use “Okay” - it’s my release word.
CONTINUE TO PRACTICE EXERCISES FROM ALL THE LESSONS IN ADDITION TO THESE. REMEMBER, EACH LESSON, WE ADD TO THE FOUNDATION WE ARE BUILDING.
We will now add a correction to the straight line heeling. At this point, food is being held at the dog’s eye level to keep him in position. You must not put any pressure on the lead while the dog is in correct heel position. If you do, the dog will interpret it as a correction and think he is not doing what you want him to do.
1. For three or four days, do not show food when you start out even though you have it ready to use as a reinforcer. Command, “Fido, HEEL” and step out on you LEFT foot and then give the treat.
2. For the next four days, wait a tad longer (about 4 seconds) before giving the food following the above procedure.
3. Then, as long as the dog is staying in the correct heel position, you may gradually lengthen the time before he is given a treat/food. However, do not go without a treat for longer than 15 seconds. Figure about one step per second.
ON THE ABOVE EXERCISES, GO ONLY IN A STRAIGHT LINE OR IN A SLIGHT ARC TO YOUR LEFT. DO NOT MAKE ABRUPT TURNS (CORNERS).
IF THE DOG MAKES AN ERROR AND GETS OUT OF THE HEEL POSITION, USE THE FOLLOWING CORRECTION PROCEDURE:
All corrections are made below the waist and as close to the dog’s eye level as it is possible for you to do without bending down.
Forging (dog is ahead of you) – command “NO” and snap the lead back and release it.
Going wide (too much space between you and the dog) – command “NO” and snap the lead across in front of you and release it.
Lagging (the dog is too far behind) – command “NO” and snap the lead straight forward and release it.
NEVER MAKE A LEAD CORRECTION AT THE SAME TIME YOU COMMAND “HEEL.”
You are going to need eight (8) pylons (milk jugs, flower pots - something you can set out as a marker. Plastic bottles from milk, water, juice are good - fill partly with dirt or sand.
Continue to lengthen out the time on the sit/stay and down/stay exercises as your dog is ready.
You may begin to use the down stay with your dog whenever you are around the house with your dog and can keep an eye on him. For example, make hi down stay for a short period of time while you are eating dinner, watching TV, etc. Do not expect more than he is capable of giving. Make it positive. Keep him successful!
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